Energy saving heat-transfer pipe and new plant

The first part of an almost $1 million project has been completed at Alexandra’s IceInLine rink.

The installation of a new ice making plant and heat exchange unit completed in 2018, was the first in a three-stage enhancement of Iceinline Central’s facilities, which will include the construction of a separate indoor curling facility and the construction of a roof for the outdoor rink.

The installation of the heat exchanging pipe between Iceinline and the nearby Molyneux Aquatic Centre in Alexandra has been completed and benefits both the rink and swimming pool. Water that becomes hot when used to cool the refrigerant in the rink plant is transferred through the pipe to the aquatic centre and used to help heat the pool. The project includes a new plant for the rink.

The plant was shipped from Canada having been built by Accent Refrigeration Systems and shipped to New Zealand in a container. The plant has remained in the container, which is now the plant room.

The plant and piping cost $970,000, mostly funded by $650,000 from the Vincent Community Board, which will recoup the money through electricity savings at the pool.

Iceinline also received $150,00 from the Central Lakes Trust and $130,000 from the Otago Community Trust. It also bought Canadian currency when the New Zealand dollar was high to pay for the Canadian plant, and had saved about $30,000 by doing that, and did additional fundraising.

The project replaces a previous proposal to build a new rink beside the pool, which was shelved because of insufficient funding.

The community board will gather and analyse data from the heat transfer this winter and probably next winter, before deciding whether to help fund the next stages of the project.